Masters Degrees (Critical Care)

Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Advanced Critical Care Practice at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

The Advanced Critical Care Practice course is aimed at experienced nurses with at least five years post-registration critical care experience, who are currently working in a critical care area, and are interested in advanced critical care practice.

The MSc Advanced Critical Care Practice will prepare experienced nurses and other appropriate health care professionals in collaboration with the local health service to become a highly skilled and knowledgeable practitioner. The Advanced Critical Care Practice course will draw on the skills and knowledge of those who contribute to the established MSc Advanced Practice in Health Care and will also share the core clinical modules of that programme. A further three new modules have been developed in order to meet the particular needs of the clinician in the critical care environment.

This part-time Advanced Critical Care Practice programme will enable the development of experienced critical care nurses to:

become advanced practitioners in line with current health policy.

provide practitioners with the clinical skills and knowledge to provide safe, ethical, competent, evidence based care and treatment at an advanced level in the critical care environment.

develop the practitioners’ knowledge and skills with regard to their roles as managers and leaders in the context of advanced practice.

develop the practitioners’ knowledge and skills with regard to their role as educators.

develop practitioners’ skills and knowledge in relation to working in partnership with patients, families and other professionals in the provision of the highest standard of health care.

Modules on the Advanced Critical Care Practice programme

Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology

Clinical Assessment and Diagnostic Skills 1

Resuscitation and Management of the Critically Ill Patient 2

Professional Issues in Advanced Critical Care Practice

Non-Medical Prescribing

Students are required to select one dissertation option from the following two

Dissertation

Portfolio Dissertation

Once selected the dissertation module becomes core for the student and must be passed.

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If you're a graduate healthcare practitioner aiming to become a competent and confident critical care nurse, our course will prepare you for delivering quality, safe care in a demanding environment.

See the website http://www.anglia.ac.uk/study/part-time/critical-care

It’s well recognised that adult critical care nursing is a demanding and highly skilled role requiring comprehensive knowledge and understanding for good practice.

Our course will effectively prepare you both clinically and academically to become a competent and confident critical care nurse. It’s delivered by well qualified teachers and carries a nationally-recognised award accepted by healthcare provider trusts and independent sector healthcare organisations in the UK. Our course is mapped explicitly against the recommendations of the National Standards for Critical Care Nurse Education.

The Critical Care Nurse Education Review Forum values individuals and organisations that are delivering high-quality critical care educational courses, which will impact directly on the quality of care received by critically ill patients. Healthcare managers and clinical leaders can be assured that our course is fit for purpose and award.

On graduation, you’ll have enhanced your knowledge of research and evidence-based care and be poised to take on a specialist practitioner role in the adult critical care environment.

The Critical Care module is also available as a continuing professional development course.

Careers

Employers value the generic postgraduate skills that this qualification assures, as well as the specialist knowledge that it provides.

Core modules

Critical Care

Please note that you will need to complete all of the above core modules. This course does not have any optional modules. Modules are subject to change.

Assessment

Your theory will be assessed through a reflexive assignment to explore and enhance your emotional literacy, a short answer examination paper-based around a clinical scenario and an oral examination (viva). An essential element of assessment is the time spent working within critical care with level 2 and 3 patients (Intensive Care Society 2009). The support of clinical mentors is used to achieve step 2 and step 3 competencies as determined by the Critical Care National Nurse Network Leads (2013).

Facilities

Facilities available to you while studying at Anglia Ruskin include formal classroom learning and online learning through the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). There are state-of-the-art library and clinical skills resources across all campuses, including a new purpose built health building in Cambridge. Tutorial support is provided on a one-to-one basis, in addition to being assigned a personal tutor throughout your course. Award-winning student service support is also available throughout your studies.

Special features

Specialist external speakers will provide contemporary insights into critical care practice during this course.

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Are you a healthcare professional working in the pre-hospital arena, wishing to expand your knowledge, skills and clinical decision-making, within critical care? This unique pathway has been specifically developed to target the national need for specialist practice in pre-hospital critical care. It includes the educational development of pre-hospital care providers in independent patient stabilisation and subsequent primary, delayed primary and secondary retrieval and transfer.

Key features

-Benefit from a programme which is highly practically orientated and outcome focused in both educational and assessment strategies. Our curriculum has been developed through an expert collaboration of Plymouth University healthcare professional academics in close association with Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT) clinical specialists.
-Complete the full-time programme in a year or balance your commitments over three years with our part-time study option.
-Attend multiple unique workshops, practical skills sessions and simulation activities.
-Develop Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) knowledge and cutting edge skills such as video laryngoscopy and ultrasound skills.
-Engage in quality improvement, knowledge creation and dissemination of best practice through publication and presentation.
-Use of blended learning as a mode of delivery incorporating study blocks and distance learning technologies.
-Seize the opportunity to develop and apply advanced knowledge and skills to your area of clinical practice. Our teaching faculty includes consultants from a wide array of civilian and military acute care specialties (pre-hospital, emergency medicine, anaesthesia, intensive care) working alongside specialist critical care and air ambulance paramedics and expert educationalists.

Course details

You will study the principles and practice of advanced airway assessment and management, advanced breathing assessment and management, advanced circulation assessment and management, and advanced neurological assessment and management. Gain an intimate understanding of brain anatomy and physiology in relation to brain injury, advance your knowledge of pain management, and learn the principles and practices of delivering critical care to specialist patient groups.

To gain a postgraduate certificate, you’ll need to earn 60 credits - you’ll study three modules worth 20 credits each. To gain a postgraduate diploma, you’ll need to earn 120 credits. To be awarded the full masters degree, you’ll need to earn a total of 180 credits. You’ll study the same core modules as the postgraduate diploma, with the extra 60 credits coming from your research dissertation.

Core modules
-ADV715 Project Design for Research
-ADV702 Applying Evidence to Practice
-ADV733 Retrieval and Transfer of a Critical Care Patient Within Special Situations
-ADV716 Research Dissertation
-ADV729 Critical Care Management - Airway, Breathing and Circulation
-ADV732 Advanced Clinical Reasoning for the Critical Care Patient
-ADV730 Critical Care Management - Neurological, Environmental and Special Patient Groups
-ADV731 Pre-hospital Critical Care Passport Competencies 1
-ADV734 Pre-hospital Critical Care Passport Competencies 2

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

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This programme enables entrants to enhance their knowledge in the field of critical care, improve research and academic writing skills, and consolidate clinical experience in a simulated environment at our state-of-the-art facilities at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital critical care floor. There is an emphasis on leadership skills and the application of evidence based medicine to plan and drive change in critical care. In addition to clinical topics, the programme explores non-clinical areas such as Audit and Quality Improvement amongst others. The programme is intended to meet the needs of anyone working within critical care who wishes to improve their knowledge, academic and leadership skills. Successful completion will lead to the award of a postgraduate degree that would be excellent for personal development and a stepping stone for career progression.

Why this programme

◾This is the only MSc programme in Critical Care in Scotland. It provides an opportunity to obtain a postgraduate degree in this developing and exciting clinical field.
◾The programme is taught at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital which has the largest critical care facilities in Scotland and one of the largest in the UK. The hospital itself was opened in 2015 and is one of the biggest in Europe.
◾The programme is delivered by experts in the field of critical care using a multimodal teaching approach which includes lectures, seminars, simulated cases and ward rounds
◾The work and assignments during the course are tailored in order for students to reflect on implementing knowledge and skills in their own workplace in the UK or internationally.
◾The University of Glasgow is ranked top amongst UK medical schools in the National Student Survey (2016) with 98% overall student satisfaction.

Programme structure

The programme is delivered at the University of Glasgow and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on campus in Glasgow.

The MSc in Critical Care has three components:
1.Three taught courses in the first semester (3 months full time)


2.Three taught courses in the second semester (3 months full time)


3.Dissertation or project report in the summer semester (6 months full time)

On a part-time basis, the taught courses could be taken over 12 months and the dissertation/project could be completed over 12 months. Part-time students have the flexibility of choosing the three courses during each year of study, as long as course 1 (research and scientific writing) is chosen first. The combination will be agreed before study is commenced.

The programme is delivered mainly at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and at the University Teaching and Learning Centre on campus. The learning and teaching approach is varied and includes lectures and tutorials, seminars, set exercises, simulated clinical scenarios, and simulated ward round at the critical care floor at the QEUH. There will be emphasis, for some of the assignments, on reflection, leadership and specific application of new knowledge within the students’ own working environments giving them a unique and bespoke learning opportunity.

For the MSc component, students can either choose a topic that is related to critical care or write a report on a project carried out during the year. It is expected that this work is presented at national and international conferences as well as submitted for publication.

The programme is suitable for both UK and International students. n.b. part time study is possible for international students who are in the UK on a work visa and will continue to be employed throughout their period of study.

Career prospects

This programme is open to doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals and ultimately leads to a Master’s Degree.

The clinical components as well as the leadership qualities acquired and attained during this programme make graduates very desirable for progressive employers. The aim is for graduates to be highly effective clinical leaders in their field and place of work.

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The PGCert Advanced Critical Care is designed to enhance the skills of practitioners such as registered nurses and operating department practitioners. It will enable you to become a clinical expert who is able to work safely and effectively in critical care practice, meeting the Step Two and Step Three competencies of the National Competency Framework for adult critical care nurses. A systems-based approach is used throughout the course to reflect the national standards for adult critical care education. You will acquire effective leadership skills and gain the skills and confidence needed to develop others in the delivery of high quality and compassionate care to patients with complex critical care needs.

What will I study?

The programme comprises of two modules which are studied sequentially.

You will begin by focusing on the assessment and management of patients following emergency events which have led to admission to a critical care environment. You will then concentrate specifically upon the development of effective leadership within a critical care environment.

The intention is to develop a practitioner who provides clinical nursing leadership, supervision and support to teams to optimise safe standards of patient care.

How will I study?

There will typically be ten days of face-to-face learning, covering the theoretical aspects of the programme, per module. This will take the form of a combination of lectures, seminars, simulation-based learning, objective structure clinical examinations (OSCE) workshops and tutorials.

The programme also includes a significant proportion of work-based learning during which you will be supported and assessed by a clinical mentor.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed through a combination of written examinations, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), written assessments and practice-based competency achievements.

Who will be teaching me?

The programme team comprises of front line clinicians from Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and academic experts from Edge Hill University. The research activities and educational roles of the programme team are varied and link to both theory and practice. A range of nationally and internationally recognised clinical experts will also be drawn upon to inform and enhance the learning experience.

What are my career prospects?

Successful completion of this programme will enhance your ability to provide expert care, clinical nursing leadership and effective supervision. It is designed to support practitioners in working towards the role of advanced practitioner to address patient needs in the clinical contexts of critical care.

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Advance your knowledge and clinical skills, positioning yourself to deliver a high quality, patient-led service. This postgraduate level programme will allow you to improve your critical care practice in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and quality. Through the contemporary focus of the course and collaboration with industry stakeholders you’ll access opportunities to advance your career.

Key features

-Enhance your skills, knowledge and career with a course designed specifically for existing advanced critical care practitioners.
-Shape your studies around your existing expertise with our student-centred approach.
-Join a programme developed through a dynamic collaborative relationship between Plymouth University and the NHS, providing opportunities for networking and career development.
-Equip yourself with the skills to be responsive to the ever-changing nature of the healthcare environment. This contemporary and dynamic programme means you can position yourself at the leading edge of critical care practice.
-Update and enhance your skill set thanks to the research-informed teaching embedded throughout our curriculum.
-Benefit from the extensive professional experience of our team, hailing from a diverse range of health and social care environments.

Course details

Develop your clinical skills, knowledge and competence as a trainee under the supervision of your consultant intensivist, through our integrated approach to teaching. You’ll study modules that combine both theoretical and clinical components, equipping you with the tools you need to excel as an advanced critical care practitioner. In your first year you’ll study 'core skills for advanced critical care practitioners 1', a module which combines eight weeks of taught theory and 27 weeks of associated clinical practice. You’ll build on this existing knowledge in your second year and in addition, explore the topic of non-medical prescribing.

On completion of PgDip, you have the option to enrol onto the MSc Advanced Critical Care Practitioner programme.

Core modules
-HEAD709 NMP: Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Designated Allied Health Professionals
-ACCP701 Core Skills for Advanced Critical Care Practitioners 1
-ACCP702 Core Skills for Advanced Critical Care Practitioners 2
-NMP702 Non-Medical Prescribing: Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Nurses and Midwives
-APP702 Advancing Research Knowledge in Practice 1

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

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Delivered at our Riverside Campus in Chester, the Postgraduate Certificate in Critical Care incorporates the latest simulation techniques, which will enable you as a practitioner to link theory to practice.

Competence and knowledge for excellence in Critical Care practice is changing. The introduction of the National Standards and Competencies for Critical Care Education has underpinned this Postgraduate Certificate in Critical Care, which is a course at the forefront of Master’s-level education.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Critical Care incorporates the latest simulation techniques, which will enable you as a practitioner to link theory to practice. By combining these techniques with rigorous academic theory and practice competencies, you will develop into a competent and effective nurse within the critical care environment.

During the course you will have access to our library and e-library, enabling you to access extensive online resources and support materials.

Completing this course and exiting with a formal certificate in Critical Care will be an exciting and valuable opportunity for students.

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The MSc in Critical Care is a part-time, distance learning course, which aims to provide the opportunity to explore critical care as a multidimensional phenomenon through the module assignments and through taught components.

Critical care is the specialised and comprehensive care of patients whose conditions are life threatening, from pre-hospital assessment through to discharge from critical and acute care environments. The course explores the management of critically ill patients, and the final dissertation requires you to examine in-depth issues related to current practice of the critically ill patient.  The course also aims to inform those who teach within the critical care setting at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels to further their knowledge and teach others more effectively.

The full MSc course takes two years to complete, although you can choose to exit with a Postgraduate Certificate after nine months or a Postgraduate Diploma after 18 months, if you have fulfilled all the criteria for those awards.

The taught component introduces you to the multifaceted nature of caring for a critically ill patient. The modular approach allows you to evaluate care of the acute or critically ill patient from an evidence-based perspective, at any point on the patient’s journey (pre-hospital to discharge), allowing consideration from a multi-professional approach. Professional issues, including interprofessional practice, law, ethics, quality and safety are covered, as well as the psychosocial aspects relevant to caring for critically ill patients. The assessments are structured to allow students to evaluate the topic in relation to their practice and professional base.

Approximately 50 places are offered per intake and the majority of students are self-funded; although some obtain awards from charities and trusts.

Structure

The MSc consists of three stages – stage T1 (first taught stage), stage T2 (second taught stage) and stage R (research dissertation stage):

• Stage T1 (first taught stage)

This stage lasts for nine months, and consists of three 20-credit modules totalling 60 credits, at Level 7.

• Stage T2 (second taught stage)

This stage lasts for a further nine months, and consists of a further three 20-credit modules totalling 60 credits, at Level 7, to achieve a total  of  120 credits to complete the taught stages.

• Stage R (MSc research dissertation stage)

The dissertation stage of the programme lasts for a further six months, to a total for the MSc of two years, and will include a dissertation of 60 credits at Level 7, to achieve a combined total of 180 credits at Level 7 to complete the MSc course.

You may leave the course after successfully completing stage T1 with a postgraduate certificate, or after successfully completing stage T2 with a postgraduate diploma. 

Core modules:

Research Governance and Evidence Based Practice
Advanced Management - Cardiovascular System
Quality and Safety
Advanced Management - Respiratory System
Professional Practice and Management Issues
Clinical Management of Specialities
Dissertation - Critical Care

Teaching

The course is delivered via Cardiff University’s virtual learning environment, Learning Central.  Approaches to enhance your learning include:

Recommended reading / links within modules
Feedback on assignments
On line tutorials
Annual reports made available to students
External examiners’ feedback.

Studies at MSc dissertation level will largely consist of guided independent study and research, making use of the extensive learning and research facilities available. A project supervisor will be allocated to support and advise you on researching and writing up your specific dissertation topic.

Assessment

There are a variety of formative and summative assessment methods used, such as:

Written modules
Voiced over power point presentations
Recommended reading / links within modules
Feedback on assignments
On line tutorials
Discussion board forums
Patient stories 

Career Prospects

Successful completion of this course will add value to your CV. Graduates of the course have reported that it led directly to promotion, and many students were also stimulated to pursue academic careers via further study up to PhD.

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Continue your studies and gain your MSc Advanced Critical Care Practitioner qualification with our new top-up programme, designed to follow on from the PgDip Advanced Critical Care Practitioner programme. This final year will equip you with advanced research skills and deeper understanding of how to improve patient care.

Please note: you must have completed the PgDip Advanced Critical Care Practitioner programme to enrol for this award.

Key features

-Increase your understanding and use of complex data to evaluate the effectiveness of critical care delivery. This will enable you to be innovative and utilise both knowledge and skills to continue to improve patient care.
-Demonstrate your ability to work in complex and unpredictable environments, developing your problem solving skills and the ability to take the initiative in your workplace.
-Develop a clinically focused project to enhance and benefit your practice.
-Join a programme developed through a close collaboration with key stakeholders including students, clinical representatives and academic staff.
-Shape your studies around your existing expertise with our student-centred approach.
-Equip yourself with the skills to be responsive to the ever-changing nature of the healthcare environment. This contemporary and dynamic programme means you can position yourself at the leading edge of critical care practice.
-Benefit from the extensive professional experience of our team, hailing from a diverse range of health and social care environments.

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You will study the assessment and nursing management of acute childhood illness. This will involve the study of the disease processes including altered physiology of respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, renal/metabolic and immune systems, during the acute illness phase. This will include • pain management • alternative airway management and principles of stabilisation • techniques and specialist care relating to conditions which require critical and intensive care nursing.

You also explore the role of the multi-disciplinary team, including breaking bad news, sibling and family care and palliative care.

In addition, you cover ethical concerns and the legal implications of nursing children in acute and critical care situations, alongside stress management and professional development issues.

The course content will be delivered through face-to-face contact, clinical skill simulation and online learning packages including webinars, e-lectures, discussion boards and online group work.

Course structure

Core modules

• recognition and management of the acutely ill child
• enhancing professional practice in children's acute and critical care

You also take two elective modules.

Core modules (blended learning)

• recognition and management of the acutely ill child
• enhancing professional practice in children's acute and critical care

You also take two elective distance learning modules

• critical care of the child
• work-based learning

Assessment

• written assignments

Employability

• Paediatric intense care nursing
• High dependency nursing (paediatrics)
• Emergency department nursing
• General paediatrics
• Theatre nursing
• Advanced Nurse Practitioner

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The Master of Clinical Practice programme incorporates the Postgraduate Diploma Clinical Practice (Advanced Critical Care Practice) and Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Skills, and is only available to Trust employees appointed into the role of Advanced Critical Care Practitioner.

The Master of Clinical Practice reflects a unique focus on mastery of clinical (health care practice) theory and skills, and unlike other postgraduate courses it requires an assessment of clinical competence on which the award is contingent. As a result, the breadth of knowledge introduced will be limited when compared to existing MSc or MA courses within postgraduate studies, and focused instead on knowledge that is imperative for clinical practice. For these reasons this links postgraduate study to clinical work.

The course addresses the requirement to provide a Masters award that includes new clinical skills to prepare for a role as a new type of health professional. A substantial part of the course is devoted to the development of specific skills and the remainder accommodates the acquisition of a bio-medical and practice related knowledge base required for the role. For this reason, research and other forms of evidence are integrated within the practitioner specific modules and within clinical practice.

The duration of the Master of Clinical Practice is three years. The Postgraduate Diploma will be full-time over two years. The final (dissertation) year will be undertaken on a part-time basis. The changing nature of healthcare provision has created new roles within critical care units. These developments are in response to variations in recruitment and retention patterns for medical staff, and the impact of the European Working Time Directive. The Advanced Practitioner role is a new non-medical role in critical care. The role is designed to make significant contribution to the care and management of critically ill patients and their families.

Students will engage theory and practice within modules that adopt an integrated approach to teaching and learning in the development of skills and practice knowledge.

Module Overview
AC0721 - Practice Evaluation Dissertation (Optional, 60 Credits)
PP0189 - Empirical Project (Optional, 60 Credits)
PP0190 - Practice Project (Optional, 60 Credits)
PP0191 - Systematic Appraisal (Optional, 60 Credits)

Facilities

When you want to get hands-on experience within Public Health and Wellbeing we can support you. The Clinical Skills Centre, which has been established for 10 years, is the result of our continued commitment to create an interactive environment in which health related students can be equipped with a diverse range of skills.

Research

Top quartile in the UK for its research power in Allied Health Sciences and Nursing
More than 80% of research activity in Allied Health Sciences and Nursing is rated as world leading or internationally excellent (REF 2014)

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Study your Graduate Certificate in Acute and Critical Care at University of the West of Scotland (UWS) Ayr or Paisley Campus.

The Graduate Certificate in Acute and Critical Care is an innovative programme of part-time study designed for practitioners registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council NMC] or the Health Professions Council [HPC] respectively.

Students on this programme should be employed within the areas of acute or critical care. The programme is vocationally-relevant and complements the Comprehensive Critical Care Strategy. It is designed to ensure professionals are equipped with the skills of personnel development planning and reflective practice.

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If you want to increase your knowledge and enhance your practice as a healthcare professional, this course is for you. With a strong clinical focus, it will give you the opportunity to explore the issues surrounding the care of acutely physically ill patients, and study the latest research.

The core unit is entitled Principles of Emergency, Acute and Critical Care, and deals with practice related issues including patient safety, quality of care and end-of-life.

Visit the website: https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/courses/postgraduate/next-year/advancing-practice-in-emergency,-acute-and-critical-care-contexts#entry

Course detail

• Study the ways in which political, economical, societal, cultural and technological advances effect the care of patients who present with emergency, acute and critical conditions
• Explore issues where legal and ethical principles are put to use, such as in decisions around end-of-life care and consent for organ donation, and grow into a critically reflective and compassionate practitioner
• Develop skills in selecting, appraising, analysing and synthesising data from a range of sources and for a range of purposes, skills that underpin the development of critical thinking, reasoning, decision-making and judgment
• Gain the ability to adopt a problem-orientation towards current healthcare practices, in order to extend current approaches to delivering care in complex professional contexts.
• Benefit from assessment activities (including simulation at our Healthcare Simulation Clinic) that rehearse the communication of information in a range of ways, purposes and audiences.

Format

Choose this part-time course if you wish to develop your expertise in approaches to caring for patients in emergency, acute and critical conditions. This course will enable you to adopt an evidence based approach to planning and delivering care.

The core unit, Principles of Emergency, Acute and Critical Care, takes a systems based approach and deals with contemporary practice related issues, including patient safety, quality of care and end-of-life care considerations.

The optional unit allows you to develop specialist knowledge, in either adult trauma care, burn care, pain management or leadership. Alternatively, you can complete the PgCert by undertaking the NMC approved course, Nurse and Midwife Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V300) in order to extend the scope of your practice.

Assessment

The course assessment strategy is closely aligned to the teaching and learning strategy which is designed to have: immediate professional relevance; draw on expertise-by-experience; foster active learning and be leaner-centred in approach. A distinct feature of the course is the range of assessment tasks, including those that allow you to undertake workplace relevant assessments that can have an immediate impact in practice.

The core unit, Principles of Emergency, Acute and Critical Care has three summative assessment points. The first is a 1000 word annotated bibliography critique from 5 articles/research papers related to the management of emergency, acute or critical, which accounts for 10% of your overall unit grade. The second is an unseen examination using short answer question to assess the taught element of the unit. This accounts for 30% of your overall unit grade. The third assessment is a case study, where you are required to reflect upon and challenge the care provided in light of current evidence and to inform future practice. This accounts for 60% of your overall unit grade.

Your choice of optional unit will determine the assessment tasks you undertake. These include unseen written examinations, case studies and portfolios of practice.

Assessment is supported in a range of ways including: comprehensive assessment briefs; use of formative assessment techniques (which are embedded within summative assessment tasks); through use of exemplar answers (including those previously submitted by students where possible); through rehearsing approaches to assessment tasks during contact sessions; through scheduled tutorials which focus on academic literacies including literature search, critique and referencing skills. You will receive feedback on submitted work within 15 working days and can discuss their work in scheduled tutorials and/or office time. You will also able to access central support services designed to support the development of study skills and academic writing.

Careers

This course has been designed to enable you to extend your scope of practice and to develop your specialist knowledge in emergency, acute and critical care. The course aims to equip you to have a positive impact on the delivery of care as an individual and team member.

You will have access to an expert course team who are able to share `live examples from their own professional practice and/or research activity. You will have opportunities to rehearse and develop professional thinking and behaviours in group work, tailored assessment tasks and activities which require you to make explicit links between your learning on the course and your practice.

This course therefore allows you to develop your current practice and prepare for future roles, supporting your employability and career progression.

Funding

For information on available funding, please follow the link: https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/money/scholarships/pg

How to apply

For information on how to apply, please follow the link: https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/course/applicationform

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The Postgraduate Certificate in Acute and Critical Care addresses the complex care required by critically ill patients.

Patients can become acutely or critically ill at any time and the more ill the patient becomes, the more likely they are to be vulnerable, physiologically unstable and require complex care. Acutely or critically ill patients exist throughout many settings in hospitals and beyond, and there is a need to ensure the quality of care is delivered by knowledgeable health care practitioners.

This one year acute and critical care nursing course is suitable if you work in ICU, CCU, HDU, A&E, theatres, medical/surgical assessment units (MAU/SAU), pre-hospital care and general acute wards.

See the website http://courses.southwales.ac.uk/courses/709-postgraduate-certificate-acute-and-critical-care

What you will study

- Applied Physiology of Acute and Critical Illness
This module looks at critically analysing the impact of pathophysiology on acute and critically ill adult patients and to understand altered physiology. You will explore the consequences of acute and critical illness on homeostasis using a wide knowledge base of normal and altered physiology to understand key treatments. The module will also focus on cardio-respiratory physiology, neurological control and acute medical conditions.

- Care and Management of the Acute and Critically Ill
You will critically evaluate the complexity of care issues in relation to acutely and critically ill adult patients and analyse the context of that care. The effectiveness of care implementation across a range of patient presentations will be analysed with consideration given to the processes of assessment, monitoring and intervention.

- Legal and Professional Issues in Caring for the Acute and Critically Ill
In this module you will undertake a critical evaluation of service delivery systems from legal and professional perspectives. This includes the right to health care; upholding human rights; duty and standards of care; professional negligence and the application of these to professional practice in acute and critical care contexts. Topics such as life and death, euthanasia, legal definitions of death, organ and tissue donation are also considered in terms of the implications on practitioners caring for acute and critically ill patients.

Learning and teaching methods

You will study through a mixture of lectures,group work, patient scenarios, interactive tutorials and seminar presentations. You will need to attend University one day a week, currently our students are taught on Fridays at 9am-5pm.

Work Experience and Employment Prospects

You will develop personally and professionally within your specialist clinical area. The course will also enable you to develop a high level of skill in transferring complex theoretical knowledge into comprehensive, patient-centred and focused clinical practice.

Assessment methods

Modules are assessed through multiple-choice questions, viva voce (oral examination), assignments, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) and written evidence of personal and professional development. The OSCEs will take place in May each year and be completed as part of the clinical skills modules and involve undertaking a comprehensive patient history, examining a particular bodily system, and identifying a management and treatment plan for the individual.

Facilities

Our state of the art Clinical Simulation Centre replicates an acute care NHS environment, providing realistic clinical facilities for our nursing and midwifery students and qualified healthcare professionals.

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If you are a clinician, a senior nurse or an allied health professional working in critical care, this programme is designed to give you a thorough grounding in critical care medicine, together with the tools to maintain your knowledge over a course of advanced, specialist instruction. We aim to ensire that you acquire the theoretical understanding and skills to advance and promote knowledge in this specialty and develop your leadership skills.

This programme aims to:

provide advanced theoretical and practical teaching that covers a broad range of key topics related to the management of the critically ill or injured patient
develop the skills, knowledge and confidence so that you can lead the provision of the highest standards of critical care
develop and demonstrate your competence in a critical appraisal of research and your skills in conducting robust clinical audit.
Programme outline
Core modules:

Pathophysiological Basis of Critical Illness
Supportive Care for Failing Organ Function
Care of the Unconscious Patient
Decision-Making, Communication and Ethics
Research and Audit Methodology
Special Patient Groups
Neurocritical Care and Trauma Management
Clinical Observership
Dissertation

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